Broken Hope
by Bafig
Summary: Percy and Annabeth are in their junior year at Goode High when their lives change abruptly. Percy, used to danger and pain, is one of the most feared kids at school. Annabeth is a straight-A student who's life sucks, but is fairly normal. When the two are thrown together by chance, they are forced to experience something new. No demigods AU. Percabeth, basic ships. T - mild content
1. Chapter 1

**Percy** :

With a sigh I closed my eyes, hoping for sleep to take the pain away. It never did though. I sat up in bed, trying not to moan from the pain in my side. Without turning any lights on, I grabbed a bottle of whiskey from under my bed. I unscrewed the cap and took a gulp of the sharp drink. Searing pain burned my throat and stomach, but it felt better than the emptiness that I had learned to get used to. I'm not sure how much longer I was awake, but I drank all my fears away. And that was all that mattered.

I woke with a start. Bright light cut into my sea green eyes and I yelped. "What the heck!"

My mom looked at me with a soft look in her ever changing eyes. Her eyebrows crinkled in depressed disappointment when she saw the empty bottle by my bed. "Percy, how many times do I have to tell you not to drink?"

My mom tried to be a good mother, but it was hard when my step-dad, Gabe, was a drunk bastard who took his anger out on both of us. I loved her so much, though. She was always trying to protect me, ever since the abuse started when I was eleven. I was now seventeen, and I was getting tired of his constant beating. Last night I had decided enough was enough. I fought back. That was my worst mistake yet. Even in Gabe's drunk state, he was still bigger and stronger than me. He had thrown my mom against the wall and she lay slumped against the wall, knocked out. I had charged over to him, but he was ready and he took a broken bottle and sliced across my ribs and chest. I winced in pain at the memory, but my mom snapped my out of it.

"Percy!"

I looked up at her. "Yeah?"

"I know you don't feel like it, but you need to go to school. If your step-father finds out that you didn't go he'll hurt you more…." She looked off to the side. I could tell that she blamed herself for that monster. She married him because of me though. I was four and I needed a father to teach me how to be a man. Gabe acted like the perfect guy, and he tricked my mom. She married him quickly, but she soon realized that he was nothing like he had first appeared to be.

I slowly rolled out of bed. "I know," was all I could reply with. I walked over to her. "Mom, it's not your fault. And one of these days I'm gonna get us out of this." I smiled at her. "Don't worry." I placed a light peck on her cheek.

With tears in her eyes she smiled at me. "Please stop drinking."

I knew why she was telling me that. She didn't want me to become _him_. But I needed the pain to go away, and alcohol was the only relief I found. I told myself that I was different than Gabe and that I would never be like him. But I knew the truth.

 **Annabeth** :

I smiled at myself in the mirror. It was another day of school in my junior year, and I wanted to die. I had so much homework with all my AP classes and I hardly had time for my best friends, Piper, Thalia, and Hazel. With a grunt I pinched my cheeks lightly and ran downstairs. I normally didn't wear any makeup, but I had added a little bit of mascara today just to make it look like I wasn't quite as dead as I really was.

Breakfast was with the family and I plopped down into my seat, next to my eight year old half-brothers, Bobby and Matthew. They were twins, and not that bad considering the fact that they were boys. My dad was already sitting at the table, his eyes glued to his phone. I sighed at the normality of the day. My step-mom, Cassy, waltzed in, grinning from ear to ear. The second she looked at me, her smile faded and a look of scorn replaced it. "Annie, really? No makeup?"

I stared at her. I hated it when she called me Annie. "No…. I never wear any, but I did add mascara today."

My step-mother cringed. "Well, if that's the best you can do...I suppose it works." She placed a plate in front of everyone, except me. "Sorry darling, I couldn't carry all five plates out. Yours is still in the kitchen." She smiled at me fakely.

I raised an eyebrow at her. "Seriously?"

Cassy assumed a look of shock. "Annabeth Minerva Chase! Don't talk back to me!" She glanced at my dad and waited for him to say something to back her up. When he didn't, she cleared her throat. "Fredrick! Your daughter was rude to me. Do something!"

My dad looked up. "Ah, um, Annabeth, your grounded."

I rolled my eyes. "I'm gonna be late for school. I'm sleeping over at a friend's house tonight."

My dad waved his hand in an okay as he stared back down at his phone. Cassy humphed in reply, but she let it go. I stood up and ruffled the twins hair before snagging a piece of toast from Matthew. I gave Cassy one last glare and left, slamming the door behind me.

"Well, today is off to a good start," I groaned.


	2. Chapter 2

**Sorry guys, it's been a couple weeks!!! I've been super busy, but this chapter is a lot longer than the last and I hope you all enjoy it!!**

Chapter 2

Annabeth:

I dragged my feet into school and immediately felt better. Though school did stress me out, it was always better than my family. My schedule was fairly easy. I had AP Calculus first period, a fun way to start my day. I sat through my first five periods before lunch finally came around. I walked into the cafeteria and sat down next to Piper, Hazel, and Thalia. Jason, Frank, and Leo were sitting with them, but when I came they smiled and left.

Jason was Piper's boyfriend, though he tried to keep it on the downlow. Frank was dating Hazel, and Leo was pining after the school angel, Calypso.

With a confused look I pulled out my lunch. "Why did they leave?"

Hazel looked around at the other girls. "I can't really say, but basically they're in trouble." I cocked my head. Hazel looked down, trying to avoid my probing eye contact. "Uh, you know how they hang out with Percy Jackson?"

I rolled my eyes. "Ugh, yeah. I do not like that guy. He needs to learn how to try harder," I stated blatantly.

Thalia broke into the conversation. "Well, basically, Percy did something illegal, they wouldn't say what, and now they're all at risk because of it."

Percy Jackson was Thalia's cousin, but the two hardly talked. Percy was your typical idiot high school boy who drank, did drugs, dealt drugs, partied, you name it. I wasn't surprised that he got all his friends into trouble. All the girls chased after him all the time. I mean, I had to admit that he was pretty easy on the eyes; his black hair occasionally falling in front of his deep sea-green eyes. I didn't like him though, mostly because he didn't try in school. I luckily only had one class with him, and that was only because for some reason he decided to take AP Literature. That was our seventh period class.

Just then, I saw Percy out of the corner of my eye. He had a green sweatshirt on with the hood pulled over his head. The suspicious looking boy sped up around a corner and disappeared. I shrugged and looked back at my friends.

"Not surprised," was all I replied with.

Piper sighed. "I know, but something's off about that kid. I have a feeling there's more to it than just a reckless boy."

I laughed. "Yeah, there's a dumb boy underneath that." In case you haven't noticed, I really didn't like Percy. He always made fun of me in AP Lit too because I tried in school. Like seriously? He should be taking my advice and not ridiculing me for giving it.

Thalia rolled her eyes at me. "Yeah, we know you don't like him." Thalia glanced down. "But he is my cousin. And Jason's my brother."

A feeling of guilt rushed over me. "Oh, I'm sorry Thalia. I forgot…."

Thalia slumped and dropped her chin into her hands. "It's fine. It's not like we talk all the time anyway." She gave me a small, sweet smile, which was rare for Thalia.

I returned the smile, gently comforting Thalia.

Suddenly, I got that itch that you get when you feel like someone is watching you. I turned and saw a flash of black go around the same corner that Percy went behind. "I'll be right back," I mumbled absentmindedly to my friends as I stood to go after whoever had been watching me.

Percy:

I got to school on time and jogged to class. Each step sent a shooting pain into my chest. I clenched my teeth as I caught my breath right outside the classroom door. Once I was breathing normal again, I waited a little longer. The bell rang and I walked into class.

"Good morning Mr. Jackson. So nice of you to actually show up," my Algebra 2 teacher, Mrs. Dodds, hissed at me. She was a mean woman who found pleasure in bullying high schoolers.

I gave her a flirty grin and she turned red and huffed as she began writing the new lesson on the whiteboard. I hated math, and mostly because of the teachers. But also because I really wasn't that good at it. Mrs. Dodds had told me to ask her least horrible student for help. The student's name was Annabeth Chase. I hated her so much. We used to be friends back in elementary, but I doubted that she remembered that. Annabeth was always so perfect and smart and she had no idea what it was like to live in my life and be in my shoes, but she always acted like I was the one who didn't know how hard life could be. I generally just ignored her though. We only had one class together, AP Lit.

Now I knew what everyone thought about how I, Percy Jackson, tough guy, was taking AP Literature. In all honesty, I wondered that sometimes too. But here's the deal. Literature is the one thing I'm actually really good at. My teachers have always said I'm horrible at math, science, language, you name it. But in english classes my teachers always told me that I should be a writer someday.

Anyway, after fifth period, we had lunch. I walked into the cafeteria and immediately regretted it. There were so many people. Almost frantically, I yanked my hood on and quickly rounded the corner into the hallways. People were not really my cup of tea. I sighed and pulled out a cigarette. I glanced up and down the hall and lit it with my lighter. I didn't normally smoke, but when I was stressed, or Gabe had been at it again, I found comfort in the sharp flavor of the tobacco and the curling whips of smoke.

I closed my eyes as I exhaled the chemicals. My racing heart began to slow as the smoke enveloped me. Suddenly I heard clacking footsteps. I threw the cigarette down and crushed it under my shoe. I pulled out my phone and turned it on, acting like I was texting someone, while the teacher walked by. I turned to watch them turn the corner down the hall and began to walk back into the cafeteria. I ran straight into Nico di Angelo.

"Woah, Jackson," Nico laughed. "Watch where you're going."

"Sorry, Nico." I gave him a quick smile, but my chest was throbbing. I was pretty sure that his shoulder had ripped open the cut.

Nico looked a little confused, but continued talking. "Hey, just to let you know, word is getting around about what happened last week. I'm pretty sure you're emo cousin Thalia just told her."

I gaped at the boy in all black. "What?! Wh-why would she tell Anna-ehem, her?" I scanned the area just to make sure no one had heard me. Annabeth didn't know she was involved in this, but she was, and she couldn't ever find out. What she was involuntarily involved in...that's a whole other ballgame. I sighed when I didn't see anyone.

"I don't know, Jackson. It doesn't make much sense, but then again, Thalia doesn't know anything about it either, so it can't hurt, right?"

I cocked my head in thought. "No, but she can't find out anything else, got it?"

"Yeah, you got it, Boss." Nico slapped my shoulder as he walked past me into the hall.

I grimaced in pain. Again, he had managed to hit my cut. I checked to make sure it wasn't bleeding through my jacket and walked back through the cafeteria to the restrooms on the other side.

As I was weaving my way through the tables, I passed Annabeth. She had a determined look on her face and was walking toward where I had just come from. Annabeth cast a scornful glance at me, as if she was judging my every move. I smirked at her and gave her a once over before continuing on my way. She looked like she was going to hurt me, but I mean, that was kinda the point.

I finally reached the bathroom and walked into one of the stalls. I quickly slipped out of my jacket and shirt and saw my cut, bleeding like it was fresh. I grabbed a bunch of toilet paper and pressed it to the cut. I had no idea what I was doing. But it was enough for now. I put my shirt back on and stuffed some more toilet paper into it before putting my sweatshirt on top. I headed off to sixth period, praying that it didn't bleed through.

I got to my class and sat down, debating if I should skip out on my seventh period class or not. It was AP, so I should go, but it was also school, so I should skip it. I finally decided I needed to go, especially because we were supposed to be assigned a project in class.

My prayers were answered and I walked to seventh without any blood showing through. I gently eased into my seat, not wanting to upset the setting flesh.

My teacher, Mr. Brunner, wheeled up to the front of the class. He had had some sort of accident that put him in a wheelchair, but he never talked about it. "Good afternoon students! Today is going to be a lot of hard work, and I am expecting you to stay after school today to work on the new project with your assigned partner." The class groaned. "Okay, so, here are the partners. Please group together with your partner so that you two can start brainstorming as soon as possible. Charles with Ethan, Will with Katie, Nyssa with Clarisse, Percy with Annabeth,..."

I stopped paying attention. I whipped my head around to look at Annabeth, my eyes wide. Annabeth did not look happy. I stood up from my seat and took my books over to her. "Hey, Annabeth," I grinned.

Annabeth rolled her chaotic grey eyes. They looked so deep today…. "Listen up, Percy," she spat out at me. "I want a good grade, and I don't want to do all the work, especially since I have four other AP classes and this is your only one. Is that clear?" Annabeth questioned with a raised eyebrow.

I smiled at her. "Yeah." I opened up my notebook and pulled out my notes that we took yesterday. "So, it's on yesterday's stuff, right?"

Annabeth's mouth hung open a little. "Uhh, yeah and the day before's notes." I nodded at her in thanks and pulled out those too. "Wait, do you actually work in this class?"

I chuckled, amused that she thought I wasn't capable of working. "Yeah, I have a ninety-seven in this class right now."

Annabeth's eyes snapped open. She slowly let them fall to a normal size. "Oh, cool." She pulled out her own notes and began marking things from her notes. After a couple minutes she spoke again. "Okay, so I have our main idea down."

I looked at her, giving her my full attention. I was having so much fun, shocking her with so many things. "Okay, great! What is it?"

Annabeth's cheeks turned a light rose color as she began to speak. "Um, well, I was thinking that if what Ralph Waldo Emerson meant by this paragraph on experience was highly poetic, then we should do our project on the analysis of how he used poetry in describing simply life facts."

I nodded at her. "Okay, sounds great, but maybe we could just focus on one quote from the paragraph? It summarizes what you just said." Annabeth shrugged, so I took that as an invitation to read the quote I had found. "'We may climb into the thin and cold realm of pure geometry and lifeless science, or sink into that of sensation. Between these extremes is the equator of life, of thought, or spirit, or poetry - a narrow belt.'"

Annabeth looked at me as if in deep thought. She then shook her head and sighed. "Yeah, that works really well. Good job."

"Okay…" I was kinda confused. She acted like she was shocked that I actually found a good point. More accurately, that I found a better point than her.

Annabeth and I worked until the end of the period, but had only come up with a few good points. Annabeth started packing up her stuff as Mr. Brunner again clarified that we had to meet in our groups after school to work on it more.

Annabeth struggled to grab all of her books and papers. I smirked at her and picked up the rest of them. "So, where do you want to work on this?" I knew that she didn't like me at all, so I wanted to rub it in her face

Annabeth rolled her eyes. "Let's go into one of the study rooms in the library." I shot her a look that made her blush. "No weird stuff, though. Got it, Percy?"

I laughed and held my hands up. "You got it, Annie."

"Ugh, for a second I thought you weren't as annoying as you really are."

I smiled and followed her with all our stuff into the library. We entered one of the private rooms after talking with the librarian and closed the door. I had been holding all her books close to my chest and side, so when I finally put them down, I winced. I realized a little too late that I had placed the edges of the books right on my cuts, and they were starting to bleed through. I pulled my sweatshirt off my chest like I was fanning off my body, but it was too late. The blood was visible.

Annabeth turned around and gave me a weird look. "Is that blood?" I stared at her blankly. "Percy, is that blood on your sweatshirt?"

I gulped and turned away. She of all people couldn't find out. She would go straight to the principle, and if Gabe found out, he would hurt my mom. "Uh...no? It's spaghetti sauce from lunch."

Annabeth walked over and leaned in toward my chest. "No, that's blood. Take off your sweatshirt and shirt."

I grinned at her. "Gee, if you wanted to get me naked, you could have asked sooner."

Annabeth's eyes grew thin. "Just take it off and let me see why you're bleeding."

Out of options, I frantically searched for reasons not to. "Uh, won't it look weird if the people out there see us in here like that?"

Annabeth walked over to the blinds and shut them. "What's your problem? I won't tell anyone if that's what you want."

I looked at Annabeth and suddenly saw a look of concern in her eyes. I was suddenly conflicted on whether I should tell her or not. "I…."


	3. Chapter 3

**Hey guys!!!! Here's chapter 3. It's a lot longer, so enjoy.**

Chapter 3

Annabeth:

With quick steps, I rushed toward the cafeteria entrance that I had seen the figure exit from. I rushed out, but had to stop myself when I heard voices coming from just around the corner.

"I don't know, Jackson. It doesn't make much sense, but then again, Thalia doesn't know anything about it either, so it can't hurt, right?" The voice was quiet and unfamiliar. All I could tell was that the speaker was most likely a younger boy, maybe a freshman.

A different voice spoke, more rough and demanding, who I assumed was Percy Jackson. "No, but she can't find out anything else, got it?" I squinted in thought.

"Yeah, you got it, Boss," the earlier, quieter voice replied.

I heard footsteps approaching me, so I sprinted back into the cafeteria and frantically spun around, looking for something to be doing. I ended up facing the same exit again and decided to just walk that direction. I saw Percy walking towards me, weaving his way through the tables. As I passed him, I glared at him. I didn't mean to, in all honesty. It was just my natural facial expression whenever I saw Percy. He gave me a confidant smirk and a once over before walking away. Under my breath I couldn't help but whisper, "Ugh that cocky son of a-" I took a deep breath and calmed myself before going any further. I continued walking out into the hall and glanced up and down it, just making sure that whoever Percy had been talking to wasn't still there. Not seeing anyone, I sighed and let myself fall against the lockers. I relaxed my shoulders and closed my eyes, realizing how tired I was after this morning's fight. I didn't like being upset, especially when whoever I was upset with was upset with me as well.

The bell rang a couple of minutes later, and I went through the cafeteria to grab my books and head to class. As I walked through the opposite hallway, I saw Percy leaving the bathroom. I watched him walk toward his sixth period class. He had a stiff upper body as he walked, not letting his arms swing or his shoulders shift too much. I raised an eyebrow, but walked the other direction toward my sixth period class.

When I got there, I immediately sat down in the back of the class in one of the empty seats. I had never sat in the back before, but there was a first for everything and I was extremely tired. The class was Greek, and I had it pretty much down, so I decided to sleep. I looked around feeling guilty as I slowly lowered my head onto my pale wooden desk. I yawned and closed my eyes. Next thing I knew it, the bell was ringing and everyone was shifting in their seats, getting their books together to leave. I stood up, swung my backpack over my shoulder, and left.

Next was seventh period. That meant Percy Jackson. I rolled my eyes and stopped by my locker to grab my AP Literature book and notebooks. I walked into class and sat in my assigned seat, somewhere in the middle of the classroom. Today we were getting our project that was due in two days. It was my favorite kind: literary analysis. Most kids didn't like these projects, but I loved them. They were so enticingly satisfying, especially when you made a rather important connection. I really hoped that my partner would be someone smart.

Mr. Brunner, the teacher, began listing off the partners. I waited patiently for my name. "Percy with Annabeth." My smile faded as I felt Percy's shocked eyes on me from the corner of the room.

He laughed quietly as he sauntered over to my seat with his books. "Hey Annabeth," he mocked.

I sarcastically smiled at him in contempt. As soon as Percy sat down, I explained the ground rules to him. "Listen up, Percy," I began. "I want a good grade, and I don't want to do all the work, especially since I have four other AP classes and this is your only one. Is that clear?" I used a concise, commanding tone, wanting to make sure that Percy new I was serious.

I expected some sassy comment, but instead all he said was "Yeah."

Surprisingly, we got right to work. Percy actually had notes. I was shocked. I read over the paragraph we were analyzing. It was a short description written by Ralph Waldo Emerson titled "Experience". The piece was beautifully written. I didn't expect Percy to understand any of it.

I turned to Percy, letting him know that I thought I had figured out a main idea.

Percy looked at me, his full attention on me. "Okay, great! What is it?"

I couldn't help but blush as I explained it to him. I talked about how we should analyze his poetic description of the basic facts of life.

Percy nodded in approval, but countered. "Okay, sounds great, but maybe we could just focus on one quote from the paragraph? It summarizes what you just said." I shrugged, slightly hurt that he possibly might have come up with something better than me. "'We may climb into the thin and cold realm of pure geometry and lifeless science, or sink into that of sensation. Between these extremes is the equator of life, of thought, or spirit, or poetry - a narrow belt.'"

I tilted my head in thought, scanning Percy's strong jaw and deep, green eyes. I shook out of my daze. It had been captivating listening to him read something so poetic. "Yeah, that works really well. Good job." I cleared my throat awkwardly.

Percy smiled and wrote some stuff down on his papers. I was upset that he had found such a deep quote, but I was also somewhat pleased that he was doing his part.

The two of us worked until the end of the period. I didn't want to talk, and I guess since he actually tried in this class, he'd rather not talk either.

I stood up when the bell rang and slumped my shoulders when Mr. Brunner reminded us that we would be working with our partners after school.

I hurriedly tried stuffing my books into my backpack, but it didn't work. I grabbed my papers and tried picking up all my books. There were a couple binders and notebooks that I couldn't get, and Percy just picked them up and stacked them on top of his books.

Percy cracked a small smile at me. "So, where do you want to work on this?"

Now, normally I would have been appalled at working with him. But something made me flustered. I rolled my eyes to cover it up. "Let's go into one of the study rooms in the library." Percy gave me an uncomfortable look. "No weird stuff, though. Got it, Percy?"

Percy laughed, not in a rude way or demeaning way, just a laugh. He lifted his hands as if caught red handed. "You got it, Annie."

Again, I felt that flustered feeling in my stomach. "Ugh, for a second I thought you weren't as annoying as you really are." I turned on my heel and walked out of the classroom. For some reason it didn't bother as much to have him call me Annie, but I still didn't like it. I didn't say anything about it though.

We made it to the library and went up to the librarian for permission to use the room. She nodded us to a room to her left. It was a plain room, but it had a bookcase with dictionaries and encyclopedias, so I was happy enough with the dull setting.

I set down my books and closed the door. Percy set down his books, as well as the few of mine that he carried. He started fanning himself off, but it wasn't very warm in the room. I gave him a weird look, but I don't think he noticed. He looked stressed, almost scared for some reason.

I squinted a little, noticing a patch of dark red on his sweatshirt. It almost looked like…. "Is that blood?" Percy just stared at me, eyes wide in fear. "Percy, is that blood on your sweatshirt?"

Percy spun around and fidgeted with his sleeves. He hesitated before replying. "Uh...no?" He paused again, searching for something else to say. "It's spaghetti sauce from lunch."

I marched over to him. He was obviously lying. I leaned in closely to his chest. He smelled of guys hair gel and Axe body spray. It wasn't that bad, to be honest. But a slight tangy smell, sort of like copper, hit my nose. "No, that's blood. Take off your sweatshirt and shirt." I was going to help him, that's the only reason I asked.

Percy clearly had different ideas. "Gee, if you wanted to get me naked, you could have asked sooner." He wiggled his eyebrows a bit and laughed.

I glared at him. "Just take it off and let me see why you're bleeding." I was serious now. He was avoiding me and I had a really strong feeling that I would find something bad when he took off his shirt.

Percy frantically looked around. He turned to the window. "Uh, won't it look weird if the people out there see us in here like that?" He wasn't joking anymore. Percy was desperate for me not to see whatever he was hiding.

"What's your problem?" I asked as I walked over to the window and shut the blinds. I turned around to look at Percy. I looked into his petrified dilated eyes and gave him my best look of trust. "I won't tell anyone if that's what you want."

Something about what I said or the way I said it must have changed Percy's mind. He tilted his head as he gazed back into my eyes, his darting back and forth across my face. "I…." Percy sighed and laughed. "It's embarrassing."

I walked over to him. "That's okay. I'm not gonna judge." I carefully walked closer to him. Our eyes were still locked. I gently touched his sweatshirt and he broke our gaze as he looked down. "Let me have a look while you tell me what happened."

Percy slowly took off his sweatshirt, and I stood up on the table to take off his shirt. He lifted his arms up as I pulled it over his head so that he wouldn't hurt his cut anymore. I blushed slightly as I noticed his defined muscles, but the second I saw the cut, all flustering thoughts left my head. It was deep and dark. Blood was dripping down, slowly, but continuously. I gulped. I couldn't even tell how far down it went. "What did you say happened?"

Percy laughed, but I could tell he was in pain. "Uhhh, I spent last night at this girl's house, and as I was climbing out of her window, I cut my chest on the drain pipe."

I gave him a questioning look. As I scanned his upper body, I noticed scars in other places. Most of them weren't that bad, but it was a scary amount. I somehow found his story very hard to believe. I glanced at his shirt. "Do you care if I rip this?" I decided not to say anything about the scars at the moment. One step at a time.

Percy looked at it, then back at me. "Um, no, go ahead."

I ripped of the shoulders, stacked them, and pressed on his wound. "This is gonna hurt," I said blatantly. If he wasn't going to tell me the truth, I wasn't going to sugar coat anything.

"Hey, I thought you said no judging." Percy's eyes looked pleading; not offended, like I had expected.

"I'm not judging. I just don't think you're telling me the truth." I could now see that the cut ran down to the edge of his ribs. I looked around. There was a first aid kit in the corner of the room. I walked over and grabbed it.

"Why don't you believe me?"

I was too busy looking in the kit for a needle and thread to look at Percy. "Because. Why would you tell me the truth? We never talk. And this was clearly not caused by a drain pipe." I looked up at Percy, waiting for a response. I had found the needle and thread.

Percy looked hurt. Emotionally, not physically. It was as if his cut went away. I motioned for him to sit down in one of the chairs. He took his seat and sighed. "You don't remember, do you?"

I frowned at the needle as I threaded it with the black surgical thread. "Remember what?"

"We were friends in elementary school. Pretty good friends, actually. Annabeth, you were my best friend."

I had been about to put the needle through the bottom of the cut. I stopped. "What?" I didn't remember that at all. I remembered elementary school. I remembered having lots of friends. But I didn't remember Percy at all. "What are you talking about? Weren't you new in seventh grade?"

Percy slumped in his chair. "No. I went over to your house everyday after school. How do you not remember that?" I watched Percy's chest rise and fall. "In seventh grade, you suddenly decided to stop talking to me."

I cleaned the wound with some alcohol and stuck the needle in his abdomen. "I don't remember." It came out a lot harsher than I had meant it to, but it got the point across.

Percy clearly didn't get it, however. He continued talking. "We messed around so much in elementary. We were the king and queen of pranks." I saw Percy grimace in pain out of the corner of my eye as I pulled the thread through. "I guess we kind of got into trouble a lot."

I remembered getting into trouble. But that wasn't with Percy. I stuck the needle through again. "I had best friends in elementary. Their names were Luke Castellan, and your cousin, Thalia." Luke had left after eighth grade. I had had a huge crush on him. I stuck the needle through.

Percy winced in pain. "What do you mean? I've never heard of a Luke Castellan. And Thalia and you didn't start talking till eighth grade."

I looked at him in shock, taken aback by his words. "That's not true!" I stuck the needle in a little too hard this time. I was only about a quarter of the way up the gash. "You and Luke fought all throughout seventh and eighth. That's why I hate you so much!" I stopped working and rested my hands on Percy's stomach. I threw my head back and blinked. Seventh and eighth grade had been a hard time, and Percy hadn't helped at all.

I looked at Percy, feeling guilty. He was staring at me. He wasn't mad though. He looked sad. "Seventh grade was when your dad remarried. Even though he already had four year old twin boys with his second wife. You were feeling alone. You started getting serious about school. You told me that you just couldn't hang out with me any more. That you could do better than me." Percy spat out the last part.

I was almost done sewing his chest shut. I stuck the needle in, now about two-thirds of the way up. "No I didn't," I stated. I shook my head and acted upset, but inside I was freaking out. Why did Percy and I have different memories. Which of us was wrong? His was more detailed, making his the more believable one. I started breathing quicker, lighter, as if I couldn't get enough air through. My hands began to shake. I hadn't had a good day already, and now this was stressing me out even more.

Percy took hold of my bloody hands, letting the thread and needle fall against his chest. "Hey, hey, it's okay. If you don't remember that, it's okay." I slowly raised my eyes to meet his. He ran his eyes across my face, as if capturing everything about me.

I dropped by eyes to his chest. I saw the unfinished job, and pulled back my hands. I picked up the needle and finished closing up the wound. I took gauze out of the first aid kit and taped it to his chest with surgical tape, covering the long cut. The whole time, I felt Percy's soft eyes watching me.

I cleared my throat. I wiped a few tears that had escaped down my cheeks. "It's gonna scar, but if you change the gauze every night before going to sleep and every morning when you wake up, it should be fine. Keep a close eye on the stitching too. If it breaks just come see me and I'll fix it." I was rushing through my words. I dropped into the chair across from Percy.

He slowly put on what was left of his shirt and his sweatshirt. Percy walked over to the window and pulled up the blinds, after glancing at me. He cleaned up the first aid kit and threw the needle in the garbage can. He sat back down quietly. "Thank you."

I smiled at him. I didn't want to think about any of what had just happened, so I pulled out my books. "Okay. Let's get back to work."

Percy and I both let out a sigh simultaneously. This was going to be a long day, but I wasn't sure if I'd really hate it as much as I had previously thought.


	4. Chapter 4

**Hey guys! So sorry this took sooooooo long, but here it is and after I finish my AP tests, I will hopefully be posting more often. Which should be at the end of May. Thank you for understanding. Enjoy!**

Chapter 4:

 **Percy:**

As Annabeth and I settled down to work again, I couldn't help but watch her as she thought. Her golden ringlets would occasionally fall in front of her eyes, and she wouldn't notice for a while. Then she'd frustratedly tuck the strand behind her ear. Her light grey eyes twinkled and shimmered as her mind connected dots and analyzed the poetry.

She was beginning to relax a bit more, so I decided it would be okay to talk. "Hey, Annabeth?"

Her piercing eyes locked on me. "What?"

This was the normal Annabeth. Calm, collected, determined. I almost wanted the lost and broken Annabeth back. "Umm, I kind of have to leave now."

"You can't. We have to finish this." Yep. Definitely would like the other Annabeth back. But this was Annabeth, take it or leave it, and if I wanted a good grade on this project, I'd better take it.

Did I really want that grade that bad, though?

"You, my friend, can finish this. I shall go home before my step-father starts asking why I didn't take the trash out." I smiled at her, pulling my normal self back on.

Annabeth glared at me. "What do you think you're doing? Sit back down!"

I had stood up and was now gathering my books. "No, that's okay, Annie."

As I exited the room, she shouted, "I'm telling Mr. Brunner that I did all the work!"

I smirked and yelled back. "No you won't! I have a great idea for how to end the analysis!" I knew that would shut her up

Silence greeted me until the librarian humphed in my direction and told me, "Get a hold of yourself or you won't see a job any time soon." With another dramatic and disappointed sigh, she slumped back into her seat and resumed her clicking on the computer while she stared absentmindedly at the monitor. Some job she had.

On my way home, I walked deliberately slow. I did not want to go home to Smelly Gabe. I spat on the side of the walkway in disgust. But I kept placing one foot in front of the other, making my way towards my mom.

I knocked on the door lightly, not wanting to wake Gabe if he was sleeping. I heard a rough yell. "I don't want whatever you have to sell!" I sighed.

I heard my mom's voice. "It could be Percy. I'll go check." Her voice was soft and submissive, but a sharp edge let me know that she was okay.

"You'll do nothing of the sort, woman."

My head yanked toward the door. I knew that tone. I sprinted down the stairs of the small apartment building and ran into the alleyway at the side of the building. I climbed on top of a dumpster that was directly under the fire-escape ladder. I grabbed the ladder and pulled myself onto the stairs. I leaped up the staircases, two steps at a time. Reaching my window, I crawled in and tore open my door to find a drunk, angry Gabe approaching my mom.

"Stop!" I stood my ground, eyes unwavering, as Gabe turned his short-attention-span to me.

"Argh, kid, leave your mom and me alone." He snickered and turned back to my mom.

I looked around frantically. There was a book on the nightstand near the couch. That wouldn't do enough. A picture frame….no. There. A pen. It sat on my mom's desk against the wall. She had always wanted a nice office to write; she loved writing. Instead, Gabe shoved her desk against the hallway wall. He told her that her imagination should be left to recipe ideas for him and his poker buddies.

With a trembling hand, I grabbed the pen. My breathing came in short gasps as I uncapped the pen. This was it. Gabe was about to hit my mom. I lunged at him, my unsteady state vanishing. Unconsciously, I stabbed at Gabe's neck. My heart rose into my throat as the pen sunk into his thick, scaly skin. As if in slow motion, I suddenly became aware of the blood pumping through my veins. I closed my eyes as my heart thumped faster and faster with adrenaline. My eyes opened as I took a deep breath.

That's when Gabe hit. I hadn't noticed. I swear to all the gods out there that I did not see what was in his hand. Pushing through the last bit of energy Gabe had, he pulled the trigger. The noise from the gun made me jump back, the pen coming with me. Blood squirted everywhere. But I only cared about one thing. My mom.

She lay against the fridge, a blood stain on her shoulder. I frantically rushed over to her in tears. After grabbing a towel that was hanging on the edge of the counter, I pressed against the bullet wound. "Mom! Oh gods, Mom! Can you hear me? Mom!?"

"Shhh," my mom managed. "Percy, call 911 and get this bastard out of my apartment."

Leaving one hand pressed against her shoulder, I pulled out my phone with the other. My hand was covered in blood and my screen wasn't reacting well to my touch. My mom's eyes were beginning to flutter open and closed. I dropped my phone and quickly wiped my hand on my jeans. I grabbed my phone and this time, I was able to dial 911.

The dispatcher answered almost immediately. "Hello, 911, what is your emergency?"

I stared at my mom as the words tumbled out. "Um, my mom is - well, I might have killed someone, first of all, second of all my mom was shot."

The dispatcher, a woman who sounded young "Okay, so-"

"No, switch the order. Mom got shot, I stabbed my step-dad. There."

"Um, yes, okay," the woman continued. "What's your address?"

I mumbled my address to her.

"Okay, we're sending an ambulance now, it should be there within fifteen minutes. Keep pressure on the wound. Goodbye."

"Wait! Help!" It was too late. The woman had hung up. I let my phone fall as I placed my hand back on my mom's shoulder, adding more pressure.

I heard a deep voice behind me that made me jump. "Hello, Perseus."

 **Annabeth:**

 _Damn Perseus Jackson_. I rolled my eyes as I stared at the poem, trying to figure out what possible conclusion Percy might have found. I checked the beautiful black watch on my wrist and saw that it was ten past six. Cassy would have my head when I got home. Dinner was at 6:45 exactly because it left fifteen minutes for my dad to get his stuff together after getting home at 6:30, and she hated people being late. Especially me. I mean, she just flat out hated me. Anyway.

I finished the analysis project by 6:30 and slammed my book shut, grabbed my pile of other books, and sprinted out the library. I heard the librarian call out after me "No running!" But I needed to get to my car. I had a light blue T-bird convertible, but it was beat up and slightly rusted around the edges. I hopped into the driver's seat before I remembered that I had told Cassy that I was sleeping over at someone's house. I stared at the dashboard with my hands on the wheel, trying to think of someone to go to. Shifting awkwardly, I got my phone out of my back pocket and called Thalia.

After six rings, she answered. "Hey, what's up?"

"Um, I love you, is there any way I could sleep at your house tonight?"

I felt a stiff pause. "No, sorry, Annabeth." She paused again and I heard hushed conversations in the background. "I have company over."

"Oh, okay. That's fine, no problem, haha." _Good gods, how awkward can I be?_

I could almost hear her pitying smile. "Alrighty. See you tomorrow."

"See you." I pressed the cruel red button and ended the call.

Next, I called Piper. Her phone went straight to voicemail, though.

I hit Hazel's number last. "Please pick up," I whispered to my steering wheel as I thumped my head against it with every ring.

Finally, Hazel picked up. "Hello?"

"Hazel!" I threw my free hand up and sat up straight with it.

"Yes, Annabeth?"

"Could I please sleep at your house tonight?" I crossed my fingers, hoping she would say yes.

"Why? Is something wrong?"

"No, not exactly. I just got into another fight with my stepmom and I told her I was sleeping at a friend's house."

I heard Frank's gruff voice on the other end. "What's wrong?"

Hazel hushed him. "Sorry, Annabeth. I'm kinda on a date with Frank."

My breath stopped short. "Oh," I finally managed, "that's cool. Have fun!"

"Are you sure?" Hazel asked intently.

"Yeah, yeah, I'll see you tomorrow."

"Okay, bye."

I let my head plop back onto my steering wheel. "This sucks."

"What does?"

My head snapped up. A tall, blond haired, blue eyed boy stood in front of me. I didn't recognize him from anywhere. "Who are you?"

The boy turned his head to the side, showing off his flawless jawline. My eyes narrowed in suspicion. "No one of importance."

I squinted at him, trying to figure out his move. "Okay, No One of Importance. I have to go now." I put the keys in the ignition and started my car. "Bye." I backed out of the spot and drove out of the parking lot as fast as I could. I had no idea who that guy was, but he looked shady, and I was too tired to deal with him at the moment.

After a couple blocks, I pulled off to the side. I grabbed my poetry notes and flipped to the page I had been working on. I knew it. I pulled out my phone again and dialed a new number. After two and a half rings, he picked up.

"Hi, who is this?" Percy's voice sounded frantic, almost.

"I-It's Annabeth." I heard a sigh of relief on the other line. "I was wondering if you possibly had a place for me to sleep tonight?" I closed my eyes, praying that he wouldn't make a dirty joke.

"Of course, as long as you're willing to help with some, um, issues I'm having right now." Nothing. No innuendos. No smart remarks.

I hesitated. "Yeah, sure. Where do you live?"

He told me his address and I drove to his apartment. I parked outside and rang the buzzer. I had to ring it four times and I texted Percy. Finally, he buzzed me up. I ran up the stairs two at a time, scared for what I might find. The door was slightly ajar and I pushed it open.

My jaw dropped. There was blood everywhere. A man lay on the ground next to a blood-covered pen and a gun. He was clearly dead.

"I'm over here!" Percy's voice squeaked from the kitchen area. I cautiously walked over to him. Percy was covered in blood. I saw his mom laying on the ground with blood seeping out of her shoulder.

"Oh my gods."


	5. Chapter 5

**Hey sorry guys, but it's been a busy month and I've been working on this chapter for a while now. I finally got to finish it today. I'll have a new chapter by July 9th at the latest. Thanks!**

Percy:

I turned around. A tall man with salt and pepper hair and green eyes as deep as the sea, just like my own, stood there, staring. A painful look crossed his eyes before vanishing. "What happened?"

I glanced over at Gabe's corpse. I brought my mom a little closer to my chest.

"Percy." I looked up at the man again. "Listen, I'm your dad, I'm Poseidon. Did you call 911?" I nodded. "Okay. There's just a few things I have to take care of before they get here." Poseidon started looking around.

This dude was my dad. I'd never met him. I'd seen pictures I guess, but he had looked so much younger in them. "Now?" I asked. What I meant to say was "Why now after being my absentee father of seventeen years? How did you know??"

He understood, though. "I know, I'm sorry. How long till they get here?"

"Ten to fifteen minutes."

The man nodded. "Okay, it'll be fine." He stepped over towards my mom, but I pulled her back. "Percy, please let me see Sally."

He knelt down and looked at my mom and smiled softly. With his large thumb, he wiped a tear from her cheek. She opened her eyes and for a second, she looked fine. She looked like my beautiful mother. Her dark brown hair was beginning to grey at the roots, but her eyes still held that ever-changing and ever-caring look. Her eyes reminded me of a kaleidoscope. They were never one color.

Poseidon stood up and started gathering things off our tables. They were all small trinkets that my mom had always had, for as long as I could remember. She took them with us everywhere we moved and never put them away. When she married Gabe and he started abusing her, he tried to make her put them away. She threatened to call the cops on him, and so she got to keep her small figures out. I had wondered why they were so important to her, but seeing my father gather them made it all make sense. They were from him. So why was he taking them away?

"What are you doing?" I asked sternly.

He didn't even turn back to look at me before responding, "I need to get rid of any evidence of my group, or your mother could get into trouble for things she has no part of." Poseidon walked back over to me. "Here, take this." He handed me a small leather necklace that had a trident bead on it. "Wear it, but keep it hidden. It'll both help and make things worse, depending on who sees it. Only show it to the right people. Understood?"

I nodded quickly. He walked towards the door, mission complete. "So that's it?"

My father barely paused before walking right out the door.

I clenched my jaw. My phone started ringing. I quickly reached over and grabbed it. It was Annabeth. I took a deep breath and answered. She needed place to stay. Confused, I said yes and gave her my address. But I told her that I might need her help with some things. She arrived a few minutes later and I heard her buzz three or four times. She even texted me, but I didn't want to release pressure on my mom's shoulder.

My mom's weak voice scratched at the small apartment walls. "Who is it?"

I looked down at her. "It's just Annabeth, from school. She's here to help, but I don't want to stop putting pressure on your shoulder."

My mom put her own hand on her wound and nodded me over to the door. I sprinted over to the machine and buzzed Annabeth in. I ran back over and put pressure again. My mom nodded slowly and started to doze off. I talked to her softly until Annabeth's quiet footsteps. I turned toward the door and waited. Annabeth gently pushed the door open and walked in.

"I'm over here!" I croaked out.

She glanced at Gabe's body on her way over to me. Her jaw was open already, but when she saw me with my mom, she stopped walking. "Oh my gods."

I hadn't realized it, but I was crying. My chin was beginning to itch from the tears. I quickly wiped my face and looked up at her. "The ambulance will be here any minute now." Just as I said that, sirens echoed in the alleyway outside my bedroom window.

Annabeth rushed over and dropped to her knees. "What can I do to help?"

I smiled at her painfully. "Could you stay here while I go with my mom to the hospital and clean up? That would be a huge help for her to come back home to a clean house, and I'm not very good at it."

My mom opened her eyes. "Hi, Annabeth, he's awful."

Annabeth laughed softly. "Hi, Mrs. Jackson." She reached out and squeezed my mom's hand in reassurance.

Paramedics rushed up the stairs two at a time and came over to where my mom lay. "We'll take it from here," I heard one of the guys say.

"I can come, right?" I demanded. "I'm her son."

One of the paramedics looked at me with a quick smile. "Of course," she breathed.

The other paramedic got Gabe in a body bag and took him downstairs. That was the end of having to deal with him at least.

I gave Annabeth a grateful look before walking out the door after the yellow rolling bed carrying my mother.

Annabeth:

I sat on the floor, unsure of what to do. I looked around the small kitchen, taking in the living space. My house was almost a mansion compared to this apartment. I stood up nervously and went under the sink for cleaning supplies. I found what I needed and started cleaning up the mess. What I couldn't clean with disinfectant wipes, I put in the sink to wash after I was done. For some reason, the sight of blood didn't scare me. I'd never seen this much before, though. After I finished cleaning everything, it was nine o'clock. The sun was long gone and it was getting cold. I peeked into the two tiny rooms down the hall off of the living room/dining room. Percy's room was a mess. Mrs. Jackson's was neat and tidy, and normally I would have taken Mrs. Jackson's room, but that didn't feel 100% right, and the messy comfort of Percy's room was calling my tired body. I pushed open Percy's door and dropped onto his bed. His sheets were the color of blue raspberry Jolly Ranchers. I turned onto my side and heard the bed creak softly. Behind the creaking, I heard glass and liquid shifting and clinking. I looked under the bed and saw bottles of liquor. I started to turn back around, but instead I reached down and grabbed a clear bottle. Vodka. Hard way to start, but I figured what the heck. My first few drinks made me gag. But after a while, I didn't have to force myself to swallow as I felt myself drifting lower into sleep. At some point my eyes didn't open and the now empty bottle clattered to the floor.

I woke up a couple hours later. I glanced at the clock. It was three in the morning. I texted Percy, asking what hospital he was at. My stomach decided at that point to turn inside out. I dropped my phone and ran to the bathroom as quick as I could. I remembered having seen it at the end of the hall. As soon as I got over the toilet, it all came out. I felt disgusting. My head felt like someone was slowly squeezing my brain and my throat burned from the acid. I put my hair up with a band that I had on my wrist. After ten minutes or so of all that fun stuff, I pulled myself up and fell on the counter of the sink. I opened the medicine cabinet and found some spare toothbrushes. I grabbed one and unwrapped it quickly. I found the toothpaste in the drawer of the cabinets and brushed my teeth very well, trying to get the taste of bile off of my tongue.

I made my way over to Percy's room again and saw my phone light up. I reached for it and saw that Percy had responded to my text. He said he was at Bellevue, which wasn't that far from where I was. I knew I shouldn't drive yet, but I wanted to go see him. I wasn't entirely sure why, but I just felt like it. Taking the blanket off of Percy's bed, I grabbed my keys and found an apartment key hanging from the hooks near the door. I locked the apartment behind me and slowly tripped down the stairs.

I got into my car and took a deep breath. I put the keys in the ignition and turned them gently. My car roared to life and my head roared in protest. I carefully pulled out of the spot and drove to Bellevue. I almost fell asleep a few times, but my throbbing head kept me awake. I pulled into the Bellevue parking lot and rushed through the emergency doors, blanket still wrapped around my shoulders like a cloak. The nurse at the desk asked me what was wrong.

"Uh hi, I'm looking for Mrs. Jackson. She came in here with her son earlier, er, yesterday." The nurse eyed me suspiciously. My speech wasn't completely clear and I had a fuzzy feeling that she could tell I was a little tipsy still. I cleared my throat and managed a soft, "Please?" before shutting up.

She looked down and carried on with what she had been doing. "What relation are you to her?"

I stared at the counter. "Uh, none?"

"I'm sorry then, I can't let you see her."

A voice from behind startled me. "Annabeth?"

I turned. "Percy!" I ran over to him and wrapped my arms around him. I felt his arms through the blanket as they encircled my waist with hesitation.

"What are you doing here?" He took a breath and pulled away. He quieted his voice as he whispered, "Are you drunk?" He pulled me into the waiting room.

I giggled a little. "Sorry, I found your vodka. I finished it."

Percy's eyes shot open. "Annabeth, what the heck? Why would you do that?"

My smile dropped as I sat down in one of the seats in the waiting room. Percy sat down next to me. "I'm sorry. I had a bad day. But I really shouldn't have. How's your mom?"

Percy's eyes searched the room, for what, I have no idea. "She's doing alright. They said she'll be fine, but they won't let me see her right now because she needs to rest."

I looked down at my hands. My head was beginning to clear up a little more. I stood up and untangled myself from the blanket. I draped it over Percy, who was looking pretty tired. He smiled at me softly. It was so genuine. His eyes looked so deep and full of emotion. I grinned back before plopping back down next to him. He spread the blanket across both of us and after a little awkwardness, I rested my head on his shoulder and he rested his head on mine. I don't remember how long it took, but we eventually fell asleep. It was the best sleep I had had in a long time. I didn't know Percy Jackson that well, but I felt like I was starting to. And it wasn't a bad thing anymore. Those rumors about him had to be wrong. Percy wouldn't do stuff like that. I wasn't entirely wrong, but I wasn't right either.


	6. Chapter 6

**HEY GUYS! I barely met by set deadline lol but here ya go! Unfortunately, I'm leaving for vacation soon and will be unable to post a new chapter until August 6th. So sorry! But please, enjoy. :)**

Chapter 6:

 **Percy:**

As I sat in the waiting room, I could smell the vodka on Annabeth's breath. I couldn't quite tell, but I thought she was asleep. I gently lifted my head off of hers and glanced down at her soft blonde hair. With a sigh, I looked around for a doctor or nurse who could give me more information about my mom. I finally saw someone and stood up quickly, forgetting about Annabeth.

"Hi, do you know anything about my mom?" I asked the nurse pleadingly. "Her name is Sally Jackson."

The nurse looked down at her clipboard. "You her kid?" I nodded. "She's doing the same. Still can't go see her."

My mouth dropped open to say something else, but the nurse interrupted me.

"Have you gone to questioning about the case?" I nodded my head quickly. "I tell you what, kid." She looked up at me. "I'll make sure someone comes to get you when she's awake, okay?"

The nurse turned and walked away before I could say anything, but I figured that was the most I was going to get out of anyone, so I went to sit back down. Annabeth had been watching me.

"How is she?" she quietly mumbled.

I took a deep breath and eased back down into the seat. "Same."

Annabeth nodded quietly. "I never knew my mom, you know."

My breath hitched. "I know."

Annabeth looked at me. "How?"

"Best friends, remember?"

"Oh...yeah."

Annabeth and I sat in silence, unsure of what else to say. Finally, Annabeth broke it.

"Tell me more," she began, "about when you say we were best friends."

I paused for a moment, trying to think of the best memory I had with Annabeth. "My favorite memory was in second grade. We were all playing capture the flag and the flag was tied to the middle of the monkey bars on the big kid playground. I was supposed to guard it, but I saw you coming and I knew you were going to get the flag, just like you always did. But I really wanted to beat you for some reason, so I lunged for you and I got you. For the first time ever, I got you. And you got so mad. You stormed away and didn't talk to me the rest of the day. I didn't know what to do, so I went up to you and apologized. You started laughing so hard and I had no idea why and finally you said that you just wanted to mess with me and make me feel bad." I looked at Annabeth, waiting for a response.

Her face looked disgusted. "That? That's your favorite memory?"

We both laughed. "I know, it's odd, but I just found it funny that you messed with me then, and many times after, but in seventh when you stopped talking to me, it wasn't a joke and I wished it was so bad."

The silence returned. We both sighed and shifted on and off.

Annabeth clenched her jaw. "I'm sorry, I guess." She bit her lip nervously. "I wish I remembered that, it sounds like we were pretty close." Annabeth hesitated. "But I only remember Luke and Thalia before seventh."

"Yeah…" I breathed out. I let my head lull back against the wall. I shook my head. _Am I just making it up?_ I questioned myself.

I felt a small, cold hand grab mine. I looked down. Annabeth smiled at me softly. "We can be friends now, though."

I grinned and gave her hand a gentle squeeze. I stared into her stormy eyes, looking for something, but nothing in particular. Annabeth looked down and pulled her hand away after a couple seconds.

A nurse walked up and announced that I could go see my mom now. I hopped up and quickly walked towards my mom's room, leaving Annabeth again. I slowed once I got closer and nervously entered her room.

My mom lay there with her eyes closed. Her rich brown hair fell around her face, framing it. I smiled as tears formed in my eyes. I knelt at the side of her bed and grabbed her hand. "Hi, mom," I whispered.

My mom's beautiful, ever-changing eyes opened as she turned to look at me. "Percy." She started laughing softly and I couldn't help but laugh with her. "We're free, right?"

I knew what she was talking about. "He's dead."

Nodding slowly, my mom let her eyes shut again. "Good, I'm glad." I began to say something but stopped. "What is it, Percy?"

I continued. "Dad showed up."

My mom clicked her tongue. "Hm," was all she said.

"Why'd he collect everything he gave you?"

"He had to, Percy, okay? He always has to do everything."

I looked down at my mom's hand in my own. "It's him who's taking care of us, isn't it?" My mom peered at me, clearly confused. "Like, he's been watching out for us." My forehead creased in question.

My mom shook her head. "No, we look out for ourselves. Although he claims to have been doing something for you for the past couple of years, gods know what that is." I was about to add another question before my mom smiled and patted my hand. "I'm tired now, let me sleep."

I nodded and stood up to kiss her forehead. "I love you, Mom."

"I love you too, Percy."

 **Annabeth:**

I sat in the waiting room, unsure of what I was supposed to be doing. I guess just wait for Percy to come back, but he could be in there for hours, or however long she could have visitors. I decided I'd have to lay down soon, as my head was beginning to hurt. I carefully lowered myself to the cold ground and kicked the blanket over my feet. I took a deep breath and closed my eyes. I could see spots behind my eyelids, making it difficult to attain sleep. I started thinking about Percy. What had happened? Who was the dead guy? Did that have anything to do with the cut that Percy had on his abdomen? My mind merged everything together, and I eventually fell asleep.

I felt a soft nudge on my thigh. My head twitched as I began to wake up. "Annabeth," a voice whispered. It sounded muffled and far off. Another gently kick to my leg pushed me over the edge of sleep.

My eyes fluttered open. Percy stood above me, a serious, but not unhappy, look on his face. "What happened?" I asked.

Percy grabbed my arms and pulled me to my feet. Spots danced in front of my eyes as the blood rushed to my head. "She's doing better." He glanced back in the direction of his mom's room. "She told me to go back to the apartment."

Placing one arm around my shoulder, Percy guided me out of the hospital. The previously midnight sky had begun to turn a light blue at the eastern horizon. "What time is it?"

Percy checked his phone. "Barely five."

Percy made me give him the keys to my car and he held the passenger door open for me as I flopped in, still wrapped in the blanket. We drove back to his apartment in silence. When we got back up to the room, Percy thanked me for cleaning up. We both dropped onto the couch.

After a few minutes, Percy spoke. "So, why'd you need a place to stay?"

I gulped. My problems seemed pretty stupid, compared to his. "Uh, I just didn't want to go home."

Percy nodded. "Bad home?"

"Not this...bad," I breathed awkwardly.

"Just because it isn't this bad doesn't make it good."

The corners of my mouth tugged into a small smile. "My step-mom is just a bit of an….evil stepmother. She really only likes my little brothers. Nothing I do is good enough for her. I never get good enough grades for her. I never talk polite enough for her. I never look good enough for her."

Percy's head shot towards me. "You never look good enough?" He asked that like it was the stupidest question ever. "What kind of mother tells their kid that, first of all, and second of all, I think you're beautiful."

My forehead creased as my eyes slowly raised. "Oh, um, thanks…." I looked down at my hands.

Percy looked away and stood up. "We should get some sleep. Go into my mom's room, she just washed the sheets yesterday."

I looked at Percy, confused. "Are you sure? That seems a little rude, her being in the hospital and all."

Percy laughed. "Naw, she'd get mad at me if I didn't offer."

I nodded hesitantly. "Well, okay." I walked down the short hall to his mom's room. I paused at the door and turned back to look at Percy. His back was against his door frame and he was just watching me. I smiled. "Thank you, Percy."

Percy laughed softly. "Anything for you, Annabeth."

I blushed lightly as we both turned and walked into the rooms. I closed the door behind me but left it open a crack. I always felt safer with the door slightly open for some reason.

I crawled into the bed and attempted to get comfortable. With a little squirming, I finally did. Sleep was so close when I heard soft footsteps and the door creak open. I sat up and saw Percy standing in the doorway, eyes red and puffy, tear stains down his cheeks.

I patted the bed next to me. "What's wrong?"

Fresh tears melted down Percy's face. It was so odd to see him cry, but I didn't feel uncomfortable or anything. I just wanted to help him. "I killed someone, Annabeth, I killed Gabe."

With that, he started pouring out all the details about Gabe. He told me how abusive Gabe had been and how his mom had just wanted to protect him. He told me stories about when he was little and everything that had happened. By the end of it, I had my arms wrapped around his neck, one hand on the back of his head, while his forehead rested on my collarbone.

"It's okay, Percy, it's okay," I comforted.

He sighed and his breath caught in the tears. "I'm sorry, I didn't mean to throw this on you-"

I cut him off. "Percy. You just went through a lot. I care about you, I want you to be okay. Are you okay?"

Percy's breathing leveled out a little more before I felt more tears drip onto my chest. His crying made it a bit difficult to understand, but after a few seconds I could hear what he was saying. "I love you, Annabeth Chase."


	7. Chapter 7

Hey guys so it's been a minute. And by a minute I mean about a year. Sorry lol...I was pretty busy I guess but I also just kind of got major writer's block, but I'm glad to be back. Hopefully I'll keep this up. Thanks for reading!

Annabeth:

I sat there, confused for a second. Percy had just said he loved me…. "What?"

Percy looked up. "I'm sorry. This must be a little weird. Considering you don't remember and all." I raised an eyebrow. "I just never stopped caring about you, and having you back in my life again...I miss being so close...a lot."

I was unsure how to respond. After a long pause, I took a deep breath. "I may not remember you or our friendship, but I almost . . . might believe you. About the whole friends thing . . . I don't know." I hesitated for a moment. "But I do know that you're not the person I thought you were, and I'm sorry that I didn't realize it sooner."

Percy nodded. He looked down. "Thank you. You've helped out so much."

I smiled. The corners of my mouth fell though, in remembrance. "That slice across your stomach... Gabe?"

"Yeah," was all Percy replied.

We sat in silence for a few minutes before I decided to flop back down on the bed. "I'm really sorry, Percy. I never knew all this was so bad. I just thought you were annoying…. But like...it makes sense now why you acted tough and stuff."

Percy laid down next to me, eyes towards the ceiling in thought. "Yeah, but I was a bit of a jerk." I laughed in agreement. Percy turned his head to face me on the pillow. I did the same, looking into his deep oceans of green. "Annabeth, I know this is kinda quick, but...will you be my friend?" There was a hint of humor behind his words, so I honestly couldn't tell if he was joking or not.

I felt the corners of my mouth tug softly. "I would be honored, as long as you'll be mine."

We both laughed before lapsing into silence

A few minutes passed before I checked if Percy was still awake. "Percy?" He shifted onto his side, facing me. "You know, after going through all this together," I waved my hand around in the air, "you can trust me, and I hope I can trust you."

Percy glanced down for a second, collecting his thoughts. "Definitely. Why?"

I clenched my jaw nervously. "Are those rumors about you being involved with a gang and drugs or something like that true?"

I turned towards Percy to witness his reaction. I almost wish I hadn't. His previously calm eyes now turned into a fierce storm, waves crashing against the glossy finish, making me feel as if they were about to jump out at me. "I can't believe you'd ask that," Percy finally whispered in a low, scratchy tone. He returned to his back on the bed.

My jaw dropped a little as I lifted myself onto my elbow. "I'm not judging, I'm just worried!"

"Oh yeah," he scoffed. "Sure you are. You're 'just worried', and as soon as I tell you the answer, you're going to leave!"

I took a deep breath. "I promise, Percy. I won't."

Percy turned his head away from me, almost in shame. "I just did it to protect my mom. I swear, Annabeth."

"What do you mean?"

A sigh escaped Percy's chest, releasing his anger. There was still a sharp edge to his voice, however, as he turned back to face me. "I got a few phone calls from a blocked number. It basically just said that if I wanted my mom to stay safe, I'd have to be their inside contact at Goode High."

A look of concern washed over my face. "Inside contact for drugs?"

Percy bit his lip in frustration. "Yeah, nothing that bad, just like...pot and speed."

"Speed? Pot is bad enough, but speed?" My pitch rose as my pace quickened. "I can't believe you would do that, without even trying to find a different way to get around it. Your mom would be so disappointed. How could you do that to her?"

"Annabeth, I did it for her, and there was no other option."

I sat up completely, facing him criss-cross-applesauce. "How was there no other option?"

He rubbed his eyes. "My mom only married Gabe because he is - er, was - so under the radar that no one would notice. No one like the people who work with my dad and those who want to hurt him."

"Who's your dad?"

"I actually just met him right before you got here yesterday." Percy ran a hand through his raven black hair. "His name is Poseidon. My mom has never told me anything about him." He paused. "I think he's the one who is making me sell the drugs."

I nearly snorted. "Wow, he wins 'Father of the Year', or something like that."

"Yeah, well…." He brought his hand to his throat and pulled out a small leather band with one bead on it. "It doesn't matter."

After a little more silence, I checked my phone to see what time it was. "Shoot, Percy, it's seven, we have to go to-" I stopped short, turning to my right. Percy was breathing deeply and evenly. His eyes fluttered on occasion and shifted. He was definitely asleep. I smiled at him and laid back down, allowing sleep to welcome me into its arms, aware of the fact that I'd be missing school for the first time ever when I wasn't on the verge of death.

(k sorry guys i'm changing the tense. past tense is absolutely stupid to write in)

Percy:

I roll over to my side, my eyes easing open. They still sting slightly from crying, but after rubbing them it subsides. I glance at Annabeth who is now in front of me. She is breathing slowly, taking deep breaths that seem oddly loud against the otherwise quiet apartment. Sirens ring in the distance, but Annabeth's breathing remains steady. My eyes catch the rise and fall of her chest underneath the blanket that she took from my bed. Her hands are up near her chin, pulling the blanket as high as possible. I chuckle lightly and carefully climb off the bed. My mom has to stay in the hospital until tomorrow, so I'll visit her later today. I head into the kitchen to make myself breakfast. And by make, I mean pour some Lucky Charms into a bowl followed by some milk. I leave the stuff out as I eat, just in case Annabeth wakes up before I'm done. I try to be quiet, but the clinking of the spoon against the bowl feels so loud and I have to slurp the milk which just makes more noise. Eventually, I hear a soft rustling from my mom's room. I look up expectantly as Annabeth stumbles down the hall.

She looks me in the eye and I notice black stains around her eyes. "Uh, you've got some...stuff around your eyes." Her grey eyes widen as she turns around and rushes into the bathroom. The door slams behind her as the faucet turns on. After a few minutes, she comes back out with a slightly red face and a damp hairline. Her eyes are free of any black stuff.

She slumps into the chair next to me. "Want some cereal?" I ask.

Annabeth tosses her head in my direction and stares. "I guess."

I laugh to myself as I stand up to grab another bowl and spoon. Well, she's not a morning person. I plop the bowl down in front of her and pour some cereal and milk, added the spoon like a cherry on top.

Annabeth glares at me. "The milk splashed."

This time, the laughter makes its way out of my mouth. "You're welcome for breakfast, my lady."

She clenches her jaw before answering. "Thank you, Percy." She feins sincerity, but I let it go.

After she finishes I clean up. "You can shower if you want," I say over my shoulder. "There are extra towels in the pantry and you can borrow some of my mom's clothes." My mom's style is very momish, but hey, they're clothes. Beggars can't be choosers, right?

Annabeth nods and stands up. "Where's the pantry?" I point in the direction of the cabinet concealed in the wall. "Oh, and I'd rather borrow your sweatshirt, if you don't mind. Not into the mom style a whole lot."

I pause from washing the dishes. "Uh, yeah, okay, sure, that's fine." My jerky sentence comes out full of squeaks and ehems.

Annabeth starts laughing and I feel the flush reach the back of my neck. I really hope she can't see it. "I'm kidding, I have clothes in my backpack. I was supposed to stay with a friend last night so I brought some stuff with me."

"Ah, okay." I close my eyes and clear my throat. That was something my Annabeth would have done. Or, not my Annabeth, I guess. Just the Annabeth that I used to know. The one that possibly doesn't exist. I get back to work on the dishes, pushing the thought out of my mind. I dry them and place them back where they belong.

I can hear the water running so I head into my room and sit on my bed. I take off my shirt that I changed into last night and look in the mirror at the red and white gauze. I gently peel back the edge of the tape and see the slightly bruised skin underneath. The cut is covered in dry blood.

I must have missed the water turning off because Annabeth's voice startled me. "You can't get that wet for another twelve hours, give or take, so don't shower."

I give Annabeth a disgusted look. "I need to shower."

Annabeth nods. "No shit." My eyes widen. "What? I can't cuss?"

I shake my head. "I just didn't expect you to, I guess."

Annabeth laughs. "If you want, I can wrap your torso with cellophane and line it with tape, and then you can shower."

"Okay."

We head into the kitchen and I grab the roll of cellophane from the drawer. I slap it into her hands. "Thanks," I mumble, lifting my arms out to my sides.

She smiles and begins wrapping it around me, like a maypole. She looks pretty decent in leggings and a baggy sweatshirt. After a few circles, she tears off the end and presses it into my side, opposite the cut. Annabeth disappears for a moment before returning with surgical tape. She carefully lines the top and bottom of the cellophane wrap and closes the edge of the wrap. Her eyes are serious, almost intense. She adds one vertical strip across where she pressed the end in. "All set," she says curtly with a nod. Her eyes relax as the gray becomes lighter. "I'll clean it when you get out."

"Thanks," I say again. I shake my head as I walk into the bathroom. "I said thanks earlier, I should have said thank you or something else, ugh." I turn on the water and tentatively step in the shower after removing the rest of my clothes. It hits my chest with a soft pit pat, pit pat against the wrap. It clings to my skin uncomfortably, but at least I can shower. I let my thoughts wander as I turn to let the water hit my scalp. I gently push my hair back. I wonder why Annabeth called me, instead of her other friends. They must have been busy. But Thals never has friends over, she lives in her own apartment, and I know for a fact that last night was her weekly skin care day. I may not be as close to my cousin now, but I practically grew up with her and Jason after her mom died in a car accident. Her and Jason each got their own apartments, though, starting freshman year. I have no idea how they can afford it. Freshman year was when we really started drifting apart. I hung out with Jason and our other friends, and she hung out with hers. There's no bad blood, as far as I'm concerned. After scrubbing everything as well as I can without tearing out stitches, I close the faucet and dry off. I quickly pull on some boxers and black joggers and head back out to the kitchen.

"Hey, Annabeth." She looks up and puts down her phone. "Should I take this off?" I start fumbling at the edges of the tape, but she just walks over shaking her head.

"Just let me do it, Jackson." That's odd, the last time called me by my last name was in elementary. I roll my eyes and lift my arms. My wet hair drips down my neck and I shiver. "Sorry," Annabeth whispers in concentration.

"Oh, no, it's just my hair." She looks up at my mess of damp hair. A drop falls down and lands on her nose. I laugh and gently wipe it off for her, letting my thumb graze her cheek. I could lie and say it was on accident, but let's be real. It wasn't. She blushes and awkwardly goes back to peeling off the tape and the cellophane wrap. That was stupid. Shouldn't have done that. Once it's finally off, she takes a wet cotton swab and dabs at my cut. "Shit! What is that?"

Annabeth looks at me. It's like looking at a robot when she gets serious. "It's rubbing alcohol. I have to disinfect it."

"But it hurts so bad," I whine. I'm not being over dramatic, okay?

"Oh, shut it. It can't hurt that bad." She continues to clean the cut as I wince. Every now and then she looks up at my pained expression and laughs. But it's a soft laugh. Kind of cute. I let a small smile form on my lips. The next time she looks up, she seems surprised. "Doesn't hurt that bad anymore?"

I shake out of it. "I mean, I just have such a great nurse." I send her a wink, but she just rolls her eyes.

"Okay, all done." I look down and see that the wound is clean. "I'll rebandage it now." I nod.

As soon as it's all bandaged up, we head out of the apartment to the hospital. I told Annabeth that she could go home, I'd just drive myself in my mom's car, but she said she wanted to see my mom too.

We hop into her thunderbird. She opens the door, like a weirdo, but I just literally hop over the door and into the passenger seat.

"Really? You couldn't open the door?"

I pull out a pair of sunglasses and flick them open with one hand. I gently place them on the bridge of my nose. "And not bring attention to myself? Ha, no. I couldn't do that, Annie." I grin at her, knowing damn well she doesn't like that name.

"You're gonna rip out some stitches." I ignore her.

Annabeth's car was pretty nice. I mean, a little banged up, but there's nothing wrong with a few dents here and there. Adds character. I turn to her, still surveying the interior. "What year is your car?"

Without looking at me, Annabeth responds, too busy trying to pull out of the tight parallel space. "It's 1979. Heritage package, I think."

I shoot her a sideways glance. "Do you not really know?"

She shrugs, turning on the radio. "Leo fixed it up for me."

My jaw drops. "What? Can I get him to hook me up with a sweet car?"

Annabeth laughs. "I got him Calypso's number. This was payment."

I shake my head. "Leo would."

We laugh, both fully aware of how head-over-heels he was for the school beauty.

Annabeth quickly throws a look at me before turning at the light. "Didn't you and Calypso hook up this year?"

I take a deep breath, letting it out very slowly. "Well, we didn't hook up. But yeah, we were together for a hot minute."

"What happened with that? Is she not your type?"

I stare at Annabeth, almost hoping she notices. "Not quite." Annabeth finally looks me in the eye, but just rolls her eyes.

"Gods, if Calypso isn't quite your type, I wonder what is. Does someone even exist prettier than that girl?" She has a tinge of jealousy in her voice, but it's probably nothing.

I shrug and look to my right. "I don't know. My type isn't necessarily prettier than her. I don't know. She was too much of a ...romantic, you know?" Annabeth scrunches her eyebrows together in confusion. "She always wanted to go out to dinner and she wanted to hold my hand and I don't know. That's not what I wanted to do."

Annabeth laughs. "Yeah, you just wanted to screw her."

It's my turn to roll my eyes. "No, actually, I'm a gentleman. I'm just not super lovey-dovey." I look at Annabeth out of the corner of my eyes. "Besides, I'm still a virgin."

Annabeth gapes at me. "No you're not! We all know you and Silena Beauregard did it in the janitor's closet sophomore year. Before she started going steady with Charles Beckendorf."

"Who uses the phrase "going steady" anymore? And fine, yeah, we had sexual relations in the janitor's closet, but it was actually at the beginning of this year. Last year was Drew Tanaka. And Rachel Elizabeth Dare, but I quickly realized that artists are definitely not my type. I'm more into the nerdy girls that spend all their time trying to get into Stanford instead of partying."

Annabeth smacks my arm. She's laughing. "You're such a player, you know that right?"

I blow a kiss at her. "Yes, I'm aware. Thank you for noticing."

"Gods, you're a Seaweed Brain."

I shake my head at her.

We arrive at the hospital a few minutes later. I open the door this time, not wanting to get my feet all over Leo's great reupholstery job. Annabeth follows me through the sliding glass doors. She takes a seat somewhere behind me as I walk up to the front desk.

"Hi, I'm here to see my mom, Sally Jackson?"

The lady at the desk looks up at me without missing a beat of her rapid typing. "One second, please." I nod and wait. After about a minute, I open my mouth to explain that I know what room she's in when she finally responds. "Room 100."

I awkwardly nod and motion for Annabeth to follow me. She stands up and whispers, "Are you sure?"

I smile at her. "Yeah, come on. My mom would love it."

We reach room 100 and I knock gently at the door. "Come in." My mom's reply is soft and I can't help but grin.

"I brought Annabeth," I explain as we both enter the room.

My mom's face immediately lights up. "Percy! And Annabeth!" She motions for us both to come over, but grimaces as she slowly lowers her hurt arm. "Oh, Annabeth, how have you been? The last time I saw you, you two were in sixth grade." She pauses for a moment. "Well, technically, I guess I was in and out of consciousness and it was yesterday, but whatever."

Annabeth laughs and leans over to give my mom an awkward hug. "Hi Mrs. Jackson. I'm doing well, and how's your shoulder?"

My mom puts on a tough face. "I'm powered up on morphine so you know, I'm doing pretty good."

I glance at her morphine pack and see it dripping slowly into the tube. It wasn't high at all and she was probably still in loads of pain. I drag a chair over by her side and take her hand in mine. "Okay, okay. How did you sleep last night?"

"Pretty good, although my neighbor over there was pretty rowdy." She nods over to the curtain drawn in the middle of the shared room. "How you feeling, Mrs. Gray?"

A grunt sounds from the other side. My mom lowers her voice. "They sedated her around six this morning. She was waking up patients down the hall."

"I can hear you, Sally! I may be old but I'm not deaf!"

The three of us look at each other and laugh. "Of course, my apologies, Mrs. Gray." My mom looks so young and happy. She looks free.

A glass eye rolls under the curtain. "Damn that eye of mine," Mrs. Gray hums.

"She is blind, however," my mom explains.

We all talk for a few more minutes before a nurse comes in and tells us that they need to run some more tests on my mom. I kiss her lightly on the top of her head before backing out of the room. "I'll be back tonight!" I call out.

My mom yells after me. "No!"

"I'll be back tomorrow!"

"See you then, sweetie!"

Annabeth is smiling at me. "What?" I ask.

"You're really sweet to your mom." She practically skips out of the hospital.

"Well, yes, she's my mother. I love her. I owe everything to her."

Annabeth stands at the door of her car. "Yeah, and it's really cute ...to see that kind of relationship." She goes to open her door but I stop her.

"Let me drive. There's somewhere I want to go."

Annabeth sighs and crosses her arms in front of her chest. "And you can't just tell me where?"

I shake my head emphatically. "Nope. Please? I have my license, so it's completely legal." I whip out my wallet and show her the card, careful to cover the picture. It was taken the day after I turned 16, which was at the end of sophomore year. I was a bad hair day and I had a major cowlick. I also wasn't ready for the shot, so my smile is barely starting to form. It's possibly the worst picture of me ever taken and it hardly represents the beauty that is me.

Annabeth squints her eyes at me. "Show me the picture and I'll let you drive."

I purse my lips and tuck the card safely in my back pocket. "Never mind." I turn around and feel a hand at my butt. Surprised, I whip back around.

Annabeth is holding the card, her eyes wide. "You look terrible!" she cackles.

"Yes, I know, but that was a bad day and I've glowed up a lot since then." I flash her a smile.

Annabeth stuffs the card in my back pocket, reaching around to do so. She tosses me the keys and jogs around the car to the passenger seat. "Take me wherever you want. That picture was worth it."

I make a big show of opening the door and climbing in before turning on the engine. "Of course, Wise Girl."


End file.
